


The Art of War

by Courtney621



Category: AUSTEN Jane - Works, Emma - Jane Austen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28913931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Courtney621/pseuds/Courtney621
Summary: Emma Knightley and Augusta Elton find themselves engaged in a series of petty but escalating battles.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	The Art of War

Emma Knightley, after a pleasant honeymoon by the sea, returned to Highbury to make her debut as a married woman, and she was seen in church that Sunday wearing a very pretty new bonnet, a gift from her husband. Everyone agreed that it was quite stylish and becoming, and it caused a stir among the young ladies, who all declared that they longed for a bonnet just like it.

Augusta Elton was livid.

“The nerve of her!” she ranted to her husband later that day. “Showing up in all of her finery, just to make a spectacle of herself and to be fawned over! And on the Lord’s day!” 

“Mmm, yes,” murmured her husband. “Exactly so.”

Augusta always considered the church as _her_ particular domain, and thus Emma Knightley’s bonnet was an especially egregious offense.

The next week, it was Augusta’s turn to gracefully receive all of the admiration that was directed toward her. The young ladies had never seen such an elegant gown, with such beautiful trimming, and matching so well with her bonnet! They were wild to know where she had found her ribbons. Were they from Ford’s?

Miss Bates thought Mrs. Elton’s bonnet might _not_ be entirely new, but it had certainly been trimmed afresh, and very fetchingly so. This comment, thankfully, had been overheard by no one but Mr. Knightley, and was followed immediately by the louder and more enthusiastic observation that they were very pretty ribbons indeed, such an unusual color, and not one she had ever seen at Ford’s, although Ford’s had very many lovely ribbons, very many; she declared that she had never seen so many ribbons in her life as she had seen at Ford’s. And those feathers! Mrs. Elton had such marvelous taste, the feathers were just the thing, and they looked so charming against her light hair.

Augusta was pleased. Emma Knightley’s bonnet had been quite forgotten.

***

The following Sunday, Emma planned to wear her own new gown, along with her new spencer and gloves, and the pretty necklace that she usually saved for parties. She had all of this laid out when her husband gave a tiny cough.

“Are you quite well, George?”

“Yes,” he answered. “I was just thinking, my dear, that as beautiful as you look in that gown, perhaps church is not the best place for it.”

Emma considered this, and the level of tact that it was expressed in.

“Perhaps not,” she relented, and wore her usual, though perfectly lovely, Sunday best.

***

Augusta Elton was sporting another freshly-trimmed bonnet and a very fine pelisse (a recent loan from Selina), and she felt very smug indeed as she sat in her pew. She had just heard Anne Cox sigh over how very pretty Mrs. Elton always looked.

***

To Emma’s displeasure, Mrs. Elton was visiting with Mrs. and Miss Bates when she herself came calling.

“Miss Woodhouse!” said Miss Bates. “Oh, Mrs. Knightley, I mean. My dear Mrs. Knightley, you must excuse me. I am so used to calling you Miss Woodhouse that I quite forgot that-- and your sister, you know, being Mrs. Knightley, I always think of her when I say it. How charming, a pair of sisters marrying a pair of brothers! And your families were always such good friends. There were never better families than the Woodhouses and the Knightleys, I am sure. I am just so pleased for you all, so very pleased. Oh, I have not asked after Mr. Knightley! But then I saw him this morning as he passed by, and he said he was quite well and that we would be seeing you later. My, what a lovely shawl! How lucky that the day is so mild that you can wear it. So very mild for this time of year, I declare. Oh, Mrs. Elton and Mrs. Knightley, how handsome you both are, I love to look at you. Mrs. Elton, just look at Mrs. Knightley’s shawl. And have you seen Mrs. Elton’s new boots, my dear?”

They were each forced to make the proper acknowledgments: Mrs. Elton stiffly complimented Mrs. Knightley (“a pretty shawl, she hoped it would not fray!”) and Mrs. Knightley admired Mrs. Elton with equal insincerity (“such sturdy boots, always so practical!”).

They allowed Miss Bates to prattle away as she fixed tea, each careful to avoid looking at the other. As the subject was Jane Fairfax’s approaching nuptials, it was difficult to contribute much to the conversation, and they had to content themselves with drinking their tea in a dignified and indifferent silence.

“I heard from Miss Fairfax a fortnight ago,” said Emma, when given the chance. “She sounds well.”

“Oh, very well, Mrs. Knightley, I thank you. We do miss her here with us, you know, my mother and I, my mother is quite forlorn without her, but then the Campbells are such worthy people, and so generous. They are sending for us tomorrow, so very kind. What a pity, my dears, that you will not be at the wedding, but Enscombe is so very far, and I know, Mrs. Knightley, that you should hate to leave your father again so soon. He would be made most unhappy, I believe, by your leaving. It was very trying for him when you-- and Mrs. Elton, Highbury simply cannot spare you. I shall share everything with you when I return, and Jane, I am sure, will write to you both.”

“ _I_ heard from dearest Jane just yesterday!” said Mrs. Elton. “She writes me quite faithfully, you know, every week. I can give you _fresh_ intelligence of our friend, Mrs. Knightley.”

She produced a letter from her reticule. “It is but a note, I know, but we cannot bear to go too long without hearing from each other.”

“I am sure she would have written more, if it were not such a busy time. My letter from her was quite as long as usual,” said Emma, sipping her tea.

“Oh, yes, Jane’s letters are always long and filled with such particulars,” said Miss Bates. “I do not know that she has ever written us fewer than two pages. But two pages for Jane, you know, is quite short indeed.”

Mrs. Elton scowled and left shortly thereafter.

***

The marriage of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill so preoccupied Highbury that one would think the couple had chosen to be united there instead of in Yorkshire. It was to general approbation, therefore, that the bride’s aunt and the groom’s father obliged everyone’s curiosity by providing intelligence of every minute detail of the wedding when they returned from it. The absent couple could not engage the village’s attention for long, however, and soon new amusements were clamored for.

Mr. Weston, a late second fatherhood having done nothing to diminish his love of company, proposed a small musical party at Randalls, and Emma found that she and Mrs. Elton were to provide much of the entertainment. She had, consequently, spent hours at the pianoforte, practicing all of her most impressive pieces, and was prepared to dazzle the whole room.

The evening in question arrived. Emma played very well and was satisfied with her performance, and was therefore very civil in her behavior towards Mrs. Elton when it was that lady’s turn to exhibit.

Her civility turned quickly to dismay as she discovered that Mrs. Elton’s ability, the self-deprecation of which Emma had taken to be the woman’s usual form of unfounded boasting, had not been exaggerated. It certainly exceeded Emma’s own. Every feeling of envy and dislike that she had ever directed towards Jane Fairfax was magnified tenfold now for Mrs. Elton. It was one thing to pale in comparison to Jane; it was quite another to be bested by a far inferior woman. It was with very ill grace that Emma praised Mrs. Elton’s performance, her smile fixed and pained.

***

The small dinner following the night’s amusement was one of triumph for Augusta. She had been much admired from all quarters and had proven herself to be as accomplished as she was stylish. 

“This has been such an enjoyable evening,” she announced to the room at large, “that I have been quite inspired to host my own little party. You all must join Mr. E. and me at the Vicarage tomorrow fortnight for a dinner party. I do insist on having all of our dear friends there.”

She smiled very kindly around at all of them, somehow skipping over Emma Knightley.

“What a charming invitation!” said Mrs. Knightley. “I quite look forward to your party. And it is such good timing, for Mr. Knightley and I will be hosting a ball at Donwell the following day, and we hope to see you all there!”

If the two ladies’ smiles looked more like sneers, not a soul commented on it, and it was graciously attributed to the effect of the candlelight.

***

“I was unaware that we were hosting a ball at Donwell,” said Mr. Knightley to his wife as they returned home to Hartfield.

“It is an idea that I have had for quite some time,” said Emma defensively. 

“And how much planning has gone into this event?”

“ _You_ need not worry about any of it, George. I am not an inexperienced hostess.”

“I never said that you were, my dear Emma,” he said gently, watching her apprehensively as they made their way into the house.

***

Mrs. Elton’s party was commended as quite a fine, agreeable evening, Mrs. Knightley’s ball was admired as very grand indeed, and each lady responded to this acclaim in a manner much to be expected.

***

"Emma," said her husband, his tone loving but firm, "I must speak plainly. We are more comfortably situated than the Eltons. Showing it off in so flagrant a display is beginning to look unseemly."

Little though Emma enjoyed this pronouncement, she took it to heart.

***

On a cold, blustery day not long after, Emma was struck with the idea of doing a very generous thing, and soon dispatched a note to Miss Bates, offering the service of one of the Knightleys’ men to retrieve their post, not only on such inclement days as this but on every day thereafter.

She was still feeling very pleased with herself when she received an answer from Miss Bates, thanking Mrs. Knightley for her kindness, she was always so very kind, but Mrs. Elton had already renewed the offer she had made to Jane, and thus the delivery of the Bateses’ post was now in that lady's care.

***

The next day, just as frigid and unpleasant, Augusta stormed into the Vicarage in a great temper. 

"What do you think has happened this morning?" she demanded of her husband.

"I am sure I do not know, my dear," he answered meekly.

"I went to visit the Bateses, but they were just leaving," she seethed. " _Emma Knightley_ has offered them the use of her carriage and the Bateses are off to Kingston for the day!"

Mr. Elton murmured something unintelligible.

"Today!" said Augusta indignantly. "Though they knew I would be coming to call!"

He tried to soothe her, but she would not be comforted.

"It was most inconsiderate. I am such a dedicated friend to them both, braving this dreadful weather to go see them, and they would not even see _me_ for a quarter of an hour! I should never dream of treating someone so despicably!"

Mr. Elton, though he privately thought his dear wife was being unreasonable, was wary of worsening her mood and only responded, "Highbury does not deserve you."

"It does not," she sniffed. "But I will set the example and be just as kind a friend as ever I have been. _That_ is the only proper way to behave."

"Exactly so, my love. Exactly so."

***

Emma had set out to run an errand at Ford’s when she spotted Mrs. Cole and Miss Bates engaged in what looked like a thoroughly one-sided conversation.

She briefly considered turning back, but she had already been seen. Detaching herself from Mrs. Cole, Miss Bates rushed over to Emma, beaming happily. Emma prepared herself to appear cheerful and to be patient, and Mrs. Cole scurried away with what looked like great relief.

“Oh, Miss Woodhouse,” exclaimed Miss Bates. “I mean, Mrs. Knightley. Oh dear, I do apologize, old habits. I am so glad to see you, Mrs. Knightley, so very glad. I must thank you again for your kindness and the use of your carriage. What my poor mother and I would do without such good friends as yourself, Mrs. Knightley, I do not like to think. My mother still talks of our day in Kingston. She is doing quite well, I thank you, quite well. We are so obliged to you and Mr. Knightley, and to Mr. Woodhouse too, of course.”

Emma protested against this abundance of gratitude, said it was nothing, that the Bateses were welcome to their carriage at any time, such old friends that they were. She made all of the proper inquiries and was all that was gracious and beneficent, until the conversation turned to Mrs. Elton and her restraint was then tried.

"Dear Mrs. Elton brought us a beautiful basket the other day just filled with such good things. So generous, I could not thank her enough. I thought she might not have been pleased with me that day we visited Kingston, there was something in her countenance that seemed-- I do hope she did not feel slighted, but I did not feel we could delay any longer, as kind as you were to provide us with the carriage. But she has been very gracious since, as I said, coming to call and bringing us the basket. Mother and I are so blessed to have such friends."

***

"So that makes five baskets, with the apples. Should not we send over some sweetbread? Mrs. Bates is so fond of it. And then--"

Mr. Knightley heaved a weary sigh.

“I know you are going to scold me, George. You have that look about you.”

"I do not _wish_ to scold you, my dear Emma."

"I would think," she said tartly, "that you would be proud of me, as generous and thoughtful as I am being."

"Very generous and thoughtful, Emma, though I question your motives."

She made no answer.

"Do not you think, my love, that you are descending too much to Mrs. Elton’s level by engaging her in this way? Would not it be better to rise above her pettiness? Send the baskets, by all means, but send them because the Bateses are our friends and are in need. Do not send them to best Mrs. Elton."

Emma considered this. It was possible that her husband might have a point.

***

And so Emma abandoned her competition with Mrs. Elton, much to the relief of both ladies' husbands. 

However much it pained her to lay down her arms, she carried with her one final victory: her ceasefire was an act of charity so monumental that Mrs. Elton could never hope to exceed it.


End file.
